The present invention relates to a barrier for expanding the volume capacity of a wheelbarrow and, more particularly, to a collapsible barrier which includes integral hinged snap-on bag retainers.
A wheelbarrow is a box for conveying a load, supported at one end by a wheel or wheels, and lifted and pushed or pulled at the other by handles. When employed for gardening, wheelbarrows are also known as lawn carts. In some cases a conventional wheelbarrow is equipped with a tow hook, such that it can be locomoted via a vehicle such as a small tractor. All of these and other configurations are referred herein as a wheelbarrow.
The volume of load which may be contained in a wheelbarrow is limited by its internal volume. Since in many cases, such as when the load is gardening debris, the specific weight of the load is relatively low and more of it could have been loaded into a lawn cart provided it was equipped with a suitable barrier to expand its volume capacity.
To this end dedicated add-on barriers were developed. Such prior art add-on barriers are basically baseless frames designed capable of being secured on top of an existing wheelbarrow, such that the combined volume of the wheelbarrow and on barrier capacity is increased, thereby increasing the total load capacity.
One prior art add-on barrier is distributed by HET FORT BV, metaalwarenfabriek, Simon Stevinstraat 6, 400 JV Tiel, Germany. This barrier includes a baseless plastic frame of a net structure equipped with dedicated hooks, legs or clips which are used to secure the frame on top of a wheelbarrow container featuring a rounded edge.
Another prior art add-on barrier is distributed by trailer BARROW. This barrier includes a baseless metal frame of a net structure equipped with dedicated metal hooks, legs or clips which are used to secure the frame on top of a wheelbarrow container.
Yet another prior art barrier, which can be added only to a matching wheelbarrow is distributed by GrosFillex S.A.R.L. 01107 Oyonax France. This barrier includes a loose construction, formed as a pair of elevated rails disposed along the sides of the wheelbarrow. The rails, which are supported by dedicated acceptors formed in the wheelbarrow (which is therefore matching), serve for mounting a nylon bag, which forms the enlarged volume capacity. The bag is engaged to the rails by snap-on clips (bag retainers). The use of a bag is advantageous since it enables a user to easily dispose the load into a garbage can, an otherwise messy task.
However this construction has disadvantages since (i) it requires modifications in the wheelbarrow itself and therefore cannot be employed with existing wheelbarrows; and (ii) the bag is hanged from the rails, yet in its upper parts it is not supported by a solid support and may therefore break. Another disadvantage is that the clips do not form an integral part of the barrier and may therefore be lost.
The more solid barrier configurations described above are not provided with clips altogether and therefore are limited with respect to the use of a bag.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, an add-on barrier for a wheelbarrow which includes integral hinged snap-on bag retainers (i) for expanding the capacity of the wheelbarrow and, at the same time, (ii) for providing integral retainers for holding a bag therein.